Best Boreal

The Liard River Hot Springs are a naturally occurring hot spring complex located within British Columbia’s Liard River Provincial Park. The springs offer consistently warm water sourced from deep underground and flow into several pools. This unique location is notable for its large scale and boreal...

Cloudberry, or Rubus chamaemorus, is a low-growing perennial plant in the rose family found across Arctic and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It produces aggregate fruits that ripen from red to amber or golden orange and commonly grows in bogs, peatlands, and tundra. The fruit is gathe...

The Northern Hawk Owl is a striking owl species inhabiting northern forested regions of North America and Eurasia. It stands out due to its diurnal hunting habits—actively seeking prey during daylight hours—and distinctive falcon-like flight style. This bird of prey, scientifically known as *Surnia*...

The ram's-head lady's-slipper, Cypripedium arietinum, is a small terrestrial orchid native to northern North America. Its distinctive pouch-shaped flower resembles a ram's head and is marked with white, pink, and purplish coloring beneath narrow twisted sepals and petals. The plant grows in speciali...

Lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, is a low-growing evergreen shrub in the heath family, Ericaceae, native across boreal and Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It produces small red berries with a distinctly tart flavor and commonly grows in forests, heathlands, and tundra. The fruit is wid...

The Crimson-ringed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia glacialis) is a species of dragonfly in the skimmer family, Libellulidae, native to Canada and the northern United States. Mature males are notable for their striking red abdominal segments, which contrast with their dark thoraxes and distinctively white fa...

The Lake Darner is a large dragonfly species native to northern North America, notable for its extensive hunting flights over open lake waters.

The Harricana Esker represents a significant geological feature—a long, sinuous ridge formed by glacial meltwater flowing within and beneath ancient ice sheets. Located primarily in Quebec’s boreal forest, it's one of the world’s largest continuous eskers, stretching over 300 kilometers. Geologists...

The Alpine Emerald (Somatochlora alpestris) is a Eurasian dragonfly described in 1840, notable for breeding in cold acidic bogs in arctic and mountain regions.

The Ob-Irtysh Lowland is a vast, expansive plain in Western Siberia encompassing parts of Russia and Kazakhstan. This significant wetland area is notable for its unique boreal ecosystem influenced by the Ob and Irtysh rivers. It supports diverse plant life and provides habitat for migratory birds an...

The Belted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia proxima) is a northern North American skimmer described in 1890, identified by its white face and red abdominal spots.

Honeyberry, or Lonicera caerulea, is a deciduous, cold-hardy shrub in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, native to northern regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. It produces elongated blue berries that are edible and often ripen earlier than many temperate fruits. Cultivated forms, includ...

The Sedge Darner is a Holarctic dragonfly species noted for its extensive geographical range across Eurasia and North America, favoring sedge bogs and fens.

The Eurasian Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium passerinum) is a small owl in the family Strigidae and the smallest owl species breeding in Europe. It inhabits coniferous and mixed forests across much of Europe and northern Asia, from Scandinavia eastward through Siberia. Unlike many owls, it is active during da...

The Quebec Emerald (Somatochlora brevicincta) is a rare North American bog dragonfly described by Adrien Robert in 1954 and named from Quebec.

The Hudsonian Whiteface is a northern North American dragonfly species notable as one of the earliest local dragonflies to emerge and fly in the spring.

Seney National Wildlife Refuge is a federally protected wildlife area in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, established in 1935. Its landscape covers roughly 95,000 acres and includes marshes, pools, peatlands, forests, and other wetland habitats managed for wildlife conservation. The refuge supports migra...

The Boreal Whiteface, Leucorrhinia frigida, is a small dragonfly species found across Canada and the northern United States, recognized by its distinctive dark wing markings.

The Ural Owl is a large species of true owl belonging to the Strigidae family, native to the mature boreal and temperate forests of Eurasia. It is characterized by its round head lacking ear tufts, a pale facial disk, and dark brown eyes set against grey-brown plumage. The bird is a nocturnal hunter...

The Ringed Emerald is a dragonfly native to Canada and the northern United States, distinguished by the pale rings on its otherwise dark abdominal segments.

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) is a low-growing perennial herb in the dogwood family, native to boreal forests and cool mountainous regions across North America and northern Eurasia. Typically reaching only 3 to 6 inches tall, it forms dense mats of whorled leaves and produces small clusters of tiny...

Kennedy's Emerald is a dragonfly native to Canada and the northern United States, notable for its bright green eyes and predation along bog margins.

The Spiny Baskettail is an eastern North American dragonfly notable for the large, prominent spine projecting from the rear of the male's abdominal segments.

Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) is an evergreen subshrub found in the boreal forests and woodlands across the Northern Hemisphere. It features slender, woody stems that creep along the forest floor, rooting at the nodes to form mats of small, rounded leaves. During the summer, it produces pairs of pal...

The Incurvate Emerald (Somatochlora incurvata) is a rare northeastern North American bog dragonfly described by Edmund Murton Walker in 1918.

Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park in Canada, spanning across northeastern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories. It was originally established in 1922 with the primary goal of protecting the world's largest remaining free-roaming herd of wood bison. The park's vast bor...

Pukaskwa National Park is a remote wilderness reserve located on the northern shore of Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada. The park preserves a vast stretch of undeveloped Great Lakes coastline, characterized by rugged Canadian Shield geology, dense boreal forests, and swift-flowing rivers. It is home...

Wild Lily of the Valley (*Maianthemum canadense*), also known as Canada Mayflower, is a small, rhizomatous perennial native to the northern forests of North America. It belongs to the asparagus family, Asparagaceae, and is distinct from the true Lily of the Valley (*Convallaria majalis*) of Eurasia....

The Lake Emerald is a North American dragonfly known for its dark metallic coloring and its specific breeding preference for cold, acidic northern lakes.